We’ve all seen them. They’re absolutely amazing. They’re beautiful, loud, and brilliant. But do you know what makes the colors so vibrant?

The answer: various metals and compounds. It’s amazing, really. The colors created by these metals are so vibrant and alive, they’re mesmerizing. To produce red, the most intense color can be created using strontium or strontium carbonate (SrCO3), but a more mellow red can be achieved using lithium, lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), or lithium chloride (LiCl). For orange, calcium is the ideal metal, or the compound calcium chloride (CaCl2). For yellow, sodium or sodium nitrate (NaNO3) works the best. To produce a vibrant green, you would use barium or barium chloride (BaCl2). For a dazzling blue color, copper or copper (II) chloride (CuCl2) is perfect. Either cesium or cesium nitrate (CsNO3) make a brilliant indigo. Potassium, its compound potassium nitrate (KNO3), rubidium, or its compound rubidium nitrate (RbNO3) create a vibrant violet color. For a luminous gold color, the best compounds are charcoal, iron (Fe), or lampblack. And finally, to produce the brightest white, you can use titanium, aluminum, beryllium, or magnesium powders.

Certain elements, when added to the fireworks, can create cool effects. Zinc, a bluish white metal, creates smoke effects. Antimony creates white firework glitter effects. Phosphorus burns spontaneously in air and creates a glow-in-the-dark effect when used in the firework’s fuel. Titanium can be burned either in powder or flake form, and produces silver sparks.

The chemical composition of the fireworks is a mixture of 70% saltpeter (potassium nitrate), 15% charcoal, 10% sulfur, and 5% compounds that produce the color. To make a brightly burning ground firework, just mix these together in small amounts in a paper towel, add the color of your choice, and light it up! Stand back, of course, and make sure there’s nothing flammable nearby. These homemade fireworks won’t explode, but they’ll produce very brilliant colors in a fierce, and very hot, flame. Enjoy the Fourth of July!

The Voices:

AudiOdysseus

My name is AudiOdysseus. Admittedly, I would never describe myself as a hero of any kind and I tend to get seasick in open water. But I love adventure. There is nothing I appreciate more than exploring new territories and gathering information about the world around me. Those are also the types of posts you can expect from me. I’ll be writing mostly about new gadgets, emerging trends, and my work-related travels to other lands.

Penny Lane

I'm passionate about music, a lover of pop-culture, a runner with a mad sweet tooth and an addiction to coffee. Read my musings about life, movie soundtracks and live concerts. If you see me on the freeway I am most likely singing very loudly in my car. Honk and say hi!

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Ace of Bass

Born and bred in the Silicon Valley, I have an innate passion for all things technology. I'll post about home theater, quality sound, apps and much more. If I bump into you, its probably because I'm looking at my iPhone. Sorry!

Echo

Owner of vPulse and vFree and curious for the ventures of Velodyne Acoustics, I will be exploring our headphones and what we do next. Stay tuned as I share what I find.

Audio8master

Born and raised in Silicon Valley, I am a student at San Jose State University and Marketing intern at Velodyne Acoustics. I am an avid San Jose Sharks hockey fan and San Francisco 49ers football fan. When I'm not watching sports, I'm listening to music and thinking deep thoughts about sound.